CYCLISTS in Huntingdonshire will be safer after work to build a cycleway is complete, say experts. Work on the route, which will link Little Paxton and St Neots, is scheduled to begin later this month and should be complete by Christmas. Cambridgeshire C

CYCLISTS in Huntingdonshire will be safer after work to build a cycleway is complete, say experts.

Work on the route, which will link Little Paxton and St Neots, is scheduled to begin later this month and should be complete by Christmas.

Cambridgeshire County Council is spending £240,000 on the 0.7-mile stretch of cyclepath, which will run from New Street to Mill Lane.

Brian Morley, from St Neots Cycling Club, said: "Everything is helpful. We haven't really got any cycle lanes in St Neots at all, so every little helps."

Ken Churchill, district and county councillor for Little Paxton, said: "The route along The Common is well-used and the cycleway will make it much safer for bike riders as well as drivers.

"I am sure once the construction work is complete the cycleway will become even more popular."

The 2.5m-wide path will run from the junction of New Street and Bedford Street up to the junction of New Street and Mill Lane. It will be positioned on the east side of the road.

Although the path will be next to a site of special scientific interest and within a flood plain, the Environment Agency and English Nature have both given the green light.

Nigel Brigham, regional manager for Sustrans, which promotes sustainable transport, said: "Cycle links help people go about their everyday journeys in healthy and environmentally-friendly ways.

"The level of cycling in St Neots is low when compared to Cambridge, so we are keen to see a big increase in both cycling and walking."

The scheme is part of the County Council's St Neots Transport Strategy, which was drawn up six years ago to promote safer, sustainable transport in the town. There are longer-term plans to extend the pathway to Gordon Road in Little Paxton.

n A spokesman for Sustrans said plans for the proposed cycle/footbridge connecting Eaton Socon and Eynesbury were still under discussion with the County Council.